


Coming Down in Sheets

by dyingpoet



Series: Sprace one shots [48]
Category: Newsies - All Media Types
Genre: Canon Era, Drowning, Happy Ending, Light Angst, M/M, Near Death Experiences, soft boi cant swim
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-23
Updated: 2019-06-23
Packaged: 2020-05-18 14:31:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19336459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dyingpoet/pseuds/dyingpoet
Summary: It's raining when Race tries to cross the bridge and he slips





	Coming Down in Sheets

**Author's Note:**

> based off a prompt from an anon on tumblr!! hope it doesnt suck love!!!

The rain had started just as Race had finished selling, which wasn’t strange for April in New York but it was annoying. Grumbling, he’d popped his collar up to his ears and hated himself for not listening to Crutchie and grabbing his tattered jacket before he’d left that morning.

“Damn kid knows more than he lets on,” he muttered to himself, looking out over the bridge and growling. “Oh come  _ on _ .”

It was coming down in buckets now, he could barely see anyone crossing the bridge in front of him. Whether that was because of the rain or because no rational person would be out in this weather he didn’t know. Probably the latter though, he personally never thought himself to be awfully rational. 

So, he started forward, nearly taken off his course by a strong gust of wind and catching a face full of water as he did. And he couldn’t  _ see  _ dammit, squinting against the downpour he tried to get a sense of where on the bridge he was.

It looked like the railing was on his left, and he stumbled toward it, feeling the rain soak through his clothes as he caught a railing pole and clutched it. 

“Eight blocks to the other end, just eight blocks,” he said to himself. Head tilted down he took a step forward, and then another and another, gripping each railing pole as they came along and praying to god he was keeping far enough away from the edge. Not like that would make any difference if he wasn’t. 

The wind was whipping hard, and it took any breath away before he got the chance to inhale again. Just one foot in front of the other. Eight blocks, it wasn’t far.

“Race! Racetrack?”

A voice called from behind him, barely able to be heard from how much the wind was grabbing at it, and Race turned his head. Trying to squint through the sheets of rain, he took a step to the left as his feet were pulled and gripped hard at the railing.

“Anyone there?” he called, “Somebody?”

He took another step to the left, and it felt like there was a bit of edge now but he could just make out a figure in the rain, it might have been the one calling him but he couldn’t tell. 

“Who is it?”

That was all he managed to get out before another gust of wind hit, and without thinking he took another step to the side, but there was nothing to step onto. It was just air.

And before he could process enough to grab onto something, he was tipping back, and then he was falling. Falling off the bridge.

“Shit!”

That voice wasn’t his, he couldn’t get anything out because he was falling  _ fast _ , down into the river. 

He didn’t have any time to think of anything to do before he hit the water. It was freezing, and he was sinking down and thrashing desperately at it, clawing as he tried to push himself up. But he couldn’t, he couldn’t swim and his lungs were burning as he felt himself sinking deeper and away from the pathetic light at the surface of the river.

He was drowning. He was going to drown.

That was the last thing he could think before the burning started to take over all of his senses and he lost the energy to fight against it. Body going limp, his lips parted and water started pouring into his lungs. There was a shape in the water above him, and the light dimmed. Then it was just the burning.

* * *

 

Coughing and water. It took a second for Race to realize that both those things were coming from him. 

He sat up quickly, not getting a chance to figure out where he was before he was leaned over throwing up water onto the ground in front of him. It hurt so bad, and he was coughing through it, more water coming up before it finally stopped and he was gasping for air. 

“Woah, hey calm down, just breathe.”

His shoulders shuddered as he was taking deep breaths, turning into soft sobs as he remembered the bridge and the water and falling down. He was panicking before he got the chance to reign it in. 

A hand came under his chin and pulled it up, and when he looked up he saw Spot, soaked to the bone and looking him dead in the eye.

“You’re fine now, I got you.”

Race nodded jerkily and sat up further, looking around and seeing the rain still falling around the both of them. Spot had dragged him to the riverbank under the edge of the bridge, and they were kept dry. 

“Did-did you-”

“Yeah, I did,” Spot said, rocking back on his heels and looking out at the river. “I jumped in ‘bout a second after you fell, didn’t think I’d find ya under there, with the rain.”

A fresh tremor came over Race and Spot looked at him quickly. “Hey, s’fine now, you’se fine. We’re both okay.”

Race bit his lip and suddenly felt freezing. He was soaked completely through, and looking at the river made him feel sick. Spot must have seen it, because he stood up and grabbed Race’s forearm, hauling him up at the same time. 

“‘Kay, so we’se goin’ to Brooklyn lodging, get dried off and get some sleep.”

Race’s teeth started chattering and he nodded, hunching his shoulders and shaking some of the rain water out of his hair. “I’m sorry.”

Spot squinted at him before shoving lightly at his shoulder. “Don’t be, could’a happened to anyone.”

“Yeah, but it didn’t, I-I wasn’t looking-”

Spot shook his head and took a step toward Race, pulling the other boy’s arm over his shoulder and starting to walk. Race struggled a bit and he gripped harder. “You’se not solid enough to walk.”

“‘M fine.”

“I could carry ya,” Spot threatened, giving Race a look, “if that would be better.”

Race gave a weak growl and started forward, kicking Spot’s shin when he barked out a laugh.

“I thought so.”

As they started walking Race gave the river a look over his shoulder and shivered. The rain was still coming down on it like bullets.

* * *

 

Spot’s bed was as warm as it always was, and Race breathed in the smoky scent of the mattress as he curled into Spot’s clothes and the blankets. He was still so cold. 

A weight settled down on the other side of the bed, and Race looked up through this blanket to see Spot looking down at him as he laid down.

“Cold?”

Race nodded, and Spot reached out an arm and pulled him closer into his chest while race threw the blanket over the two of them. 

It was dark in the room, and Race unconsciously moved closer into Spot and the warmth, he was exhausted. A hand started to brush through his hair.

“Race?”

Race hummed in response, starting to drift off.

“I’ll kill ya if ya ever do that again.”

Already half asleep, Race nodded and curled tighter into a ball.

“‘Night.”

“‘G’ight.”

**Author's Note:**

> that was a sickening experience and i 10/10 would write again
> 
> kudos/comments feed my mortal soul,,, leave me prompts on my tumblr @dying-poet or commission!!!


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